Backup venue for Asia Cup 2022 revealed amid Sri Lanka unrest

Colombo: Bangladesh is likely to be the backup venue for the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 amid the continuing situation of unrest in Sri Lanka.

The Asia Cup 2022, originally scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in September, has once again been pushed into uncertainty after the internal crisis in the Island nation recently.

Now, it has been learnt that Bangladesh has been drafted as the standby venue for the Asia Cup 2022 if Sri Lanka cannot host the event courtesy of the civil unrest.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) will make the final call regarding the venue for the Asia Cup later this month. 

It is expected that the tournament will run from August 27 till September 11.

The six teams have been divided into two groups with Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh slotted together. Meanwhile, India, Pakistan, and the Qualifier will be placed in the other group.

United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Kuwait will compete for the final spot in the qualifiers.

The tournament will be played in a T20 format in a bid to help teams prepare for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.

Sri Lanka has suffered through months of food and fuel shortages, lengthy blackouts, and galloping inflation after running out of foreign currency to import vital goods.

The country has nearly exhausted already scarce supplies of petrol, but protesters backed by the main opposition parties hired private buses to travel to the capital.

Sri Lanka has defaulted on its $51 billion external debt and has been in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund.

Despite the protests, Australia’s tour of Sri Lanka took place without delays while Pakistan are also currently visiting the country.